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The Bulldogs scored 87 points to beat Howard Lake-Waverly in the opening round on Thursday and then edged Maple Lake 57-55 in the finals on Friday.

Against Maple Lake, the Dogs were ahead by two at the end of the first quarter, despite being outrebounded and outhustled.

After the Irish tied the game at halftime, the Dogs picked up their game on both ends. The Dogs outscored the Irish by five in the third quarter (20-15), which turned out to be the difference in the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Dogs were up by five with only seconds to go when the Irish made a three-pointer. After a turnover, the Dogs led by two points with 1.5 seconds left on the clock. The Irish got the ball out of bounds right under the Dogs' basket, but Paynesville played tough defense as time expired and pulled off the 57-55 win.

"As good as we played last night, we played poorly tonight," said coach Ric Koehn. "But the sign of a good team is one that can find a way to win even on an off-night."

The Bulldogs could have put the game away at the free throw line in the fourth quarter but missed numerous shots. For the game, the Dogs made only four of 18 free throws.

Senior Stacy Lieser netted a team-high 26 points. Senior Heidi Jansen added 11 points and led the team with four steals. Sophomore Amanda Glenz had 11 points, too, and led the team with nine boards.

Lieser and junior Mindy Meagher each supplied the team with four assists.

By winning four of their last five games, the Bulldogs have raised their record to 5-4 for the season.

The Bulldogs do not play again until Friday, Jan. 4, when they host Sauk Centre in a conference game.

Paynesville--	14	10	20	13	- 57
Maple Lake--	12	12	15	16	- 55

SCORING: (FG-FT/FTA-PTS)
Maple Lake 55 - Cassie Raiche 2; Katie Haegele 8; Emily Nordlie 19; Ashley Spolanich 4; Mandy Wurm 22.
Paynesville 57 - Stacy Lieser 11-1/5-26; Mindy Meagher 2-0/0-4; Rachel Sogge 1-0/0-2; Amanda Glenz 5-1/8-11; Heidi Jansen 5-1/1-11; Danny Lieser 1-1/2-1; Hannah Braun 1-0/0-2. TOTALS: FG 25/62, FT 4/18.
STATISTICS: 3-pointers - Stacy Lieser 3; Rebounds - 28 Glenz 9; Assists - 14 Meagher 4; Stacy Lieser 4; Steals - 15 Jansen 4; Blocks - 0.

Paynesville 87, HL-W 65
The Bulldogs scored a season-high 87 points - making 12 three-pointers - in beating Howard Lake-Waverly in the opening round of the holiday tournament.

Both the Dogs and the Lakers started strong, scoring over 20 points in the first quarter.

The second quarter was the best for the Dogs, who hit five of their 12 three-pointers. Danny Lieser made three treys and Stacy Lieser made two to help the Dogs to a 45-36 lead at the half.

"We were really on fire tonight," said senior Lisa Hemingson of the Dogs' hot shooting. "It really helped us pull off a big win."

The Dogs let up a bit in the third quarter, scoring only 15 points. This normally is a good output but on Thursday it was the only quarter that they didn't score at least 20 points against HL-W. But the Dogs scored 27 points in the fourth quarter to cover both quarters and moved to the championship game with a 87-65 win.

"The girls were really on fire tonight. It was a great game to coach and watch. Danny Lieser really put on a show, with five threes in the first half and six total," commented coach Koehn.

Junior Danny Lieser and senior Stacy Lieser led the team with 21 points a piece. Danny made six three-pointers and Stacy had three. Hemingson added two treys and junior Ann Stalboerger made one.

Sophomore Amanda Glenz recorded her first double-double with 13 rebounds and 10 points.

Junior Mindy Meagher added ten points and led the team with eight assists.

All ten varsity team members scored in the victory over HL-W.

Howard Lake-Waverly--	20	16	12	17	- 65
Paynesville--	22	23	15	27	- 87

SCORING: (FG-FT/FTA-PTS)
HL/W 65 - Jenna Gagnon 16; Cassie Ogle 9; Kelly Moe 21; Billie Painschab 12; Courtney Jensen 3; Barb Barbell 4.
Paynesville 87 - Stacy Lieser 8-2/4-21; Mindy Meagher 5-0/0-10; Ann Stalboerger 2-2/2-7; Hannah Braun 1-0/0-2; Sara Lieser 1-0/0-2; Lisa Hemingson 3-0/0-8; Rachel Sogge 1-0/0-2; Amanda Glenz 5-0/0-10; Danny Lieser 7-1/2-21; Heidi Jansen 1-2/2-4; TOTALS: FG 34/77, FT 7/10, 3's 12.
STATISTICS: 3-pointers - Stacy Lieser 3; Stalboerger 1; Danny Lieser 6; Hemingson 2; Rebounds - 47 Glenz 13; Assists - 24 Meagher 8; Stacy Lieser 7 Steals - 9 Stacy Lieser 3; Blocks - 2 Jansen 1; Glenz 1.

Litchfield 62, Paynesville 48
The undefeated Litchfield Dragons defeated the Bulldogs 62-48 on Tuesday, Dec. 18, in a conference game. The Bulldogs were tense and not executing very well in the first half and their game struggled. Not many shots fell for the Dogs in the first quarter, only allowing them to score only ten points. The second quarter wasn't much better, as the Dogs scored only 11 points. The Dragons took a 37-21 lead at the half.

The third quarter was the best for the Bulldogs, who still scored only 12 points but held the Dragons to ten. The Dogs and the Dragons each scored 15 points in the fourth quarter. The Dogs did outscore the Dragons 27-25 in the second half.

"Litchfield is a tough team that will have a strong program this year. We stuck with them, but we didn't play with the intensity we could have," said Stacy Lieser.

"Litchfield can be a very intimidating place to play, and it showed in the first quarter," added coach Koehn.

Lieser led the team with 15 points and had three steals and three assists. Jansen recorded a double- double by scoring 14 points and grabbing ten boards. Jansen also led the team with two blocks.

Paynesville--	10	11	12	15	- 48
Litchfield--	19	18	10	15	- 62

SCORING: (FG-FT/FTA-PTS)
Litchfield 62 - Krista Rambow 20; Melissa Hendrickson 15; Kris Carson 6; Katie Pietsch 2; Trista Swanson 5; Jackie Carlson 14.
Paynesville 48 - Stacy Lieser 5-5/7-15; Ann Stalboerger 0-1/2-1; Hannah Braun 0-1/2-1; Lisa Hemingson 1-1/2-4; Rachel Sogge 1-1/2-3; Amanda Glenz 4-0/0-8; Heidi Jansen 5-4/5-14; Danny Lieser 0-2/2-2. TOTALS: FG 16/48, FT 15/22, 3's 1.
STATISTICS: 3-pointers - Heming-son 1; Rebounds - 32 Jansen 10; Assists - 12 Meagher 3; Stacy Lieser 3; Steals - 8 Lieser 3; Blocks - 4 Jansen 2.